Wichita eagle., 1887-09-25
IN THE BUCKET SHOP.
HOW SPECTATORS RISK MONEY
ON STOCK FLUCTUATIONS.

| HOW SPECTATORS RISK MONEY
ON STOCK FLUCTUATIONS.
| The Big SpeculAsoe md the Little Fishsa
Calling Out tbs Q1stations-A TriniDs
Di0erence-Ths Man Who Didn's spse
ulAte.
| II Is taken for granted that every ons
knows what bucket shop h The wealthy
stock broker would dsfine it as q wicked place
where people can bet on the fluctuations Of
stocks, which IS . decidedly dsrnoralixing
thing; and the brokers clerk viii tell you that
1t is q stock exchange where the poor man
has an equal chance to tbs extent Of his
means with his rich employer. Both thess
definitions, as its happens, are In q measure
correct And this can be shown by an instance
Of every day occurrence in the vicinity Of
| Wall street
| Mr.. Won Goldsmith telegraphs bis broker:
''Sel 10 600 Northwest The broker says to
himself: "Ah! the old fox b going b get
cut" He tosses the order to tho bookkecpsr,
| and rushes down to the exchange
| The bookkeeper, before entering il, takes a
$50 bill from the till, debts himself with it
on the books, and calling a messenger boy
| says to him, Run to Handouts & Darby
| with this note and money. Flyi" The boy
flies out of the Office and around the corner
and then reads the note: 1Sell for me twenty
! shares N. W. at 125" Instead Of going
| directly to the bucket shop in New street, the
boy runs up Broadway to Wall, down Wall
and Exchange place, and finally to the des-
tined shop. But in the meantime he has met
half dozen or moro Of his pals" and has
said to them: Say, Gully, look at this Here's
point fer yer. Got any money! Lsmme
have it" From one and the other be gets q
quarter, or a dollar, or something, until he
probably succeeds in raising the necessary IS
the lowest sum you can play on In bucket
shop. Then be goes, before delivering his
message, to another bucket shop and cries
out to the clerk, "Say. I'll sell you five n. W.
at l25" The clerk takes his order and the
money, balances quarter on his finger and
says, Where did you get that, sonnyr
Sonny reaches out for the quarter and re-
plies in breathless haste: odd Goldstein
ordered our boss to sell out this morning"
Meanwhile the bookkeeper has handed the
order to the telegraph operator, and he ap-
pears to be engaged for several minutes in
calling up the operator who hrs to take the
representing the firm on the Stock Exchange.
In reality he is talking 10 some of his chums
on this point" and asking them to ago it
for him. Later on the other clerks get hold
Of the information, a pool is made, and one
slips out to restaurant near by which has
telephone, and orders North west TO be sold to
the extent of his fellow workers. pool. Dur
ing the morning there are q number OF
IN, fbe of
OF whom are in the habit Of "tippingr the
clerks. One of them says: "Hello Godfrey,
any newsf" And the clerk answers: Sell
Northwest. Big thing" Two or three of
the brokers' customers then take . walk, and
it happens to be ia the direction Of q bucket
shop. In this way the spirit Of gambling
may be said to prevail throughout the puE-
ueus of Wall street
These bucket shops are nearly all fitted up
In the same manner, and In describing one
you describe all OF them They are generally
In Easements. One Of the largest, however.
Il on the street level, and the first thing that
strikes you at the entrance Is FIVE cent lunch
stand, which is rather significant Of the alb
ssnce Of millionatres at such places At the
far end OF the room is the clerk. an amiable
and handsome young man, who calls out in
n ",
voice, just as the croupier at a successful ron
lette table might do. In fact, If you have
visited Monte Carlo, you cannot but wonder
why after he has shouted "D., L. and w.
seven-eighths,- he does not add to IL SNAKE
your game while the ball rolls" rust as any
other croupier might do. Early in the
morning be has no need TO do this shouting.
He has before him at the desk any number OF
people who have q favorits number upon
which they desire to play or copper Il h
really similar to gambling On q roulette
table, with this triflng difference At the
few remaining tables in Europe the gamblers
dream dreams, which, according to a code,
arc reduced TO numbers In this case the
gambler or speculator gets up early, reads
the newspapers, sees tbs brokers' clerks a.
soon as the offices are open and, as a rule,
for half an hour after the bucket shops open
there h a rush to the counter
No women ars seen In these bucket shops,
and, indeed, these gatherings can scarcely b
called representative Of those who gamble ia
stocks, for the reason that many OF them do
not care to be seen In such places For such
there are offices provided where they can
gamble in comparative privacy. Each Of the
larger bucket shops has some twenty-five or
fifty agencies. They hire . chenp top story
room, put in a clerk, desk and a telephone,
and receive orders from them all day. Here
the women go, and once In way you viii
meet In some Of the large buildings q man
with a gentle, peace on earth voice inquirins
for the commission brokers Office For even
ciergynen, some few Of them, speculate.
They get points from members Of their con-
Gregation, and one Of the most anusing
things in the whole business 10 the lorR az
plantations some Of them feel called upon 10
make when giving an order They always
assume great ignorance Of the simple busin<-s
modes, and have only consented To dAbbl. In
such mysteries at the earnes. request OF Mrs.
Soandso
A tall man, with . big black beard, h seen
pretty regularly In one Of the bucket shora
BE il bachelor, and retired from the sea
with a comfortable competence Soms,hing
led him into Wall street, and row b 10 .
confirmed gambler In stocks The clerk and
be are on friendly ternaa After the stock
exchange closes they often have q little chat
together, and -orne;irnes be permits himself
70 break through his ordinary conservation
and ask an opinion On certain stocsA After
one OF these chats last week be broke . long
Silence with the phiiosopnic remark:
@'Pears TO me real czrs, young feilay,
that with your srnartness ard all VIA. you
know you don't get r1ch nigh, OF. Hos = stf
-well. I never speculate repises; tbs mart
young fellow, with . srniie
Never sy,ec1iateF exclaimed tia SURPRISED
seafaring man
-So. am quite sa;i<6ed with my salary
The captain booked ss him steadily for .
moment and then softiy whssessd- IL was 6
revelation 10 ham But the Is.non IL con
5000 -~sf5 - ,-<..~~I g.